Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance in the 2025 movie release, Sinners, has been one of the biggest talking points of the year, and that will more than likely continue on into the awards season. In Ryan Coogler’s gothic period horror, the Wire veteran plays identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack, and critics have hailed the dual turn as some of the best acting of his career.
But as we approach the end of the year and Oscar chatter heats up, one question keeps popping up among fans: could Jordan be nominated twice, once for Best Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor, for the same movie? To answer that question, let’s take a look at how the Oscars work.
How Acting Nominations Work
When it comes to acting nominations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes the performer, not the roles. So even though the Black Panther alum brings two distinct characters to life in Sinners, the Oscars will only count that as one performance, meaning one nomination, in one category. That rule dates back to a particularly notable Oscars moment in 1944.
The Academy first ran into this issue when Going My Way star Barry Fitzgerald made Oscar history by receiving two nominations, one for Best Actor and another for Best Supporting Actor, for the exact same performance. Fitzgerald ultimately took home the supporting trophy, while co-star Bing Crosby won for lead, but the situation created enough confusion that the Academy quickly changed its rules.
Starting with the following year’s ceremony, actors could no longer receive multiple nominations for the same role, or, as the Academy later clarified, for multiple roles in the same film. The rule still stands today. If an actor’s name appears in both categories for the same film, the nomination defaults to the category in which they receive the most votes.
How The “Going My Way” Rule Change Affects Sinners
The rule change prompted by Barry Fitzgerald’s historic double nomination means that no matter how distinct the Fantastic Four actor’s twin performances are in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, the Academy will view them as part of a single body of work, and one entry and one slot on the ballot. He and Warner Bros. will have to decide whether to push Sinners in the Best Actor category or make a case for Best Supporting Actor, but not both.
Even without the possibility of a double nomination, Jordan’s Oscar prospects look strong. Sinners is projected to earn major recognition across multiple categories, with Variety reporting that current awards forecasts have the film and Jordan tracking for as many as 11 nominations. That places him firmly in the Best Actor race, just behind Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, and Jeremy Allen White. He’s also set to receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival — a strong bellwether for Oscar attention.
So while Michael B. Jordan can’t double-dip at the Academy Awards, his performance in Sinners remains one of the season’s safest bets for recognition. And it’ll likely be one of the only genre-centric nominations, unless any upcoming horror films draw similar acclaim.
And if you haven’t seen it yet, one of the best horror movies of recent memory is now streaming with an HBO Max subscription.